The Daily ‘Shroom – 11/15/06
- Fans of the estranged DS relatives of the MegaMan Battle Network and Boktai games might be interest to know that, in Japan at least, the theme of crossing-over between franchises continues.
Still a little unclear if it’s a simple cameo as in MegaMan Battle Network 4, or if you have to have two DSes and each game to open anything.
And because we simply are good enough to bother with, there’s still a chance this content may not even make it here. Because we gaijin suck.
- And you thought that GameStop and other retailers were doing bad by you in the past by forcing bundled software and peripherals with your new systems.
CompUSA isn’t about to take that lying down, as they’re saving their PS3 allotments for those who buy HDTVs from them.
Might want to consider marking that place off your list, campers.
And nothing so far about a similar Wii promotion.
- Meanwhile, over in the ol’ Amazon, no further preorders are being taken for either next-gen console.
- So Wii made its TV debut last night on Dancing With The Stars.
…yeah.
Actually, I think technically Red Steel beat that notion by being shown on yesterday’s rerun of WWE Monday Night Raw, if not earlier. But that’s Canada, so…
- *cues up music*
o/~ Halo my baby, Halo my darling, Halo my ragtime gal… o/~
…ok, enough of that. IGN reports a Hellacious helping of Halo… homing… helping…
Sigh, just read the link. Halo 3‘s multiplayer Beta will be available come the spring, and other goodies are on the way, too.
- In Japan, Nintendo plays you! …if you’re Sony.
- Rosebud… yes, Rosebud frozen bees. Full of country goodness and green beeness. Wait, that’s terrible. I quit. *storms off*
*storms back* …just a handfull for the road…
*offside* Oh, what luck! There’s a french-fry stuck in my beard! *munching sounds*
- First batch of Wiis are on their way! This is promising if you live in Atlanta and are looking to scoop one up.
- The Hedgehog has landed.
However, the lack of reviews has some concerned that this may be a mirroring of the movie industry’s tendency to not invite critics to some early showings… make of that what you will.
- The port of the new Sonic‘s 15-year old predecessor wasn’t fast enough to dodge that bullet, however. In fact, GameSpy pretty much bitchslaps the hell out of it.
Strange to me, though, are the claims this is the Game Gear version… those ain’t GG graphics. Maybe they were revamped? Dunno, never got to play the original GG version, so I don’t know what stages it had.
- Free WiiVD at GameStop/EB.
- Looks like CostCo may be making a Wii bundle similar to the XBox 360′s.
- “This could be the end of the World… of Warcraft.”
- Damnation. I tried to get in when they were around 20 apiece.
- Sounds like Nintendo has faltered in the face of MP3 playback.
Not that I care (in my case, what am I going to do? Swap one game soundtrack out for another?), but someone surely does.
- Seems Joystiq was momentarily confused by the title of Nintendo’s big ad campaign for the Wii.
Though I am with them in wondering why the Hell we aren’t getting it.
- Speaking of Hell, it’s starting to freeze over as Blue Dragon for the XBox 360 is the third-most anticipated game in Famitsu, toppling such heavy contenders as Metal Gear Solid 4 and the new Zelda.
Could this signify a change in fortunes for Microsoft in the east?
Maybe. All that, and on top of that, anime and manga, too.
- So the number of busted PS2 games on PS3 numbers in around 200. Word is that there will be patches made available, possibly one at a time, to fix this.
Also available is a compatibility checklist.
But maybe it’s not so big a deal.
Then again… Devil May Cry, Gran Turismo 4, Final Fantasy XI, Xenosaga Episode II, Tekken 5, Ace Combat 5…
- Want to attend the Game Development Conference for free? Well now you can!
- Kotaku, among many others, have paid their respects to the death of Official US PlayStation Magazine.
What gets me, though, is the way that everyone is citing the internet as the death of print magazines.
But that doesn’t stop me from seeing racks upon racks of magazines covering every walk of life when I walk into my nearby Indigo bookstore. Magazines like Newsweek and Time sell. Comic magazines like Wizard, toy magazines like Toyfare, anime magazines like Newtype and Anime Insider continue to sell. Wrestling, men’s magazines, Playboy, movie magazines, they all continue on.
I think it’s less about the news, more about the content. And as so many are willing to attest to, it’s hard to read the internet when you’re on the John. Or maybe in bed before going to sleep. Whatever.
Nintendo Power recently reinvented themselves, and they’ve got some pretty good stories going. Some stuff is even exclusive. How do they do it?
Quite simply, people can only read stuff on the internet if it’s put there first.
Just look at Retro Gamer Magazine. They even proudly proclaim on their cover “OLD!” How much news do you think you’ll get from that?
They’re enjoyable reads, among others, and those in the different categories listed above as well. And they can be more convenient for many on trains or buses, in the can, in the bedroom, or wherever.
While the internet is an invaluable tool for getting information first, and now demos (which were no doubt a significant part of the lifeblood of OPM), it’s only going to kill print if print lets it. As Joystiq points out:
What’s curious is why Microsoft not only doesn’t see Xbox Live as the final nail in Official Xbox Magazine’s proverbial coffin, but they use the magazine to distribute exclusive demos, weeks before they hit Live (see: Rainbow Six Vegas). Maybe, with a 60% attach rate for Xbox Live, they realize there’s still plenty of offline 360 gamers who can’t get their demos from Live.
And hell, it doesn’t seem to bother the UK at all. And they aren’t even getting PS3s until… wow, when was that again?
- Toys R Us to gamers: Up yours.
That is just low.
–LBD “Nytetrayn”
November 15th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
21. Wow, that just sucks. “Betrays” is right. It may be pessimistic of me, but I NEVER expect deals when purchasing games, not like with DVDs where I might find a box set at the mall for $50 but at Target it’ll be $40 without a sale, $32 with.
In my experience, retailers just seem to never want to cut profits on gaming merchandise, and if they do, it’s a few paltry dollars. Every bit counts, sure, but the point is that they’re stingy.